Always here to save you
by Nick Zoe 4ever
Summary: Grace gets into a few scrapes and Darius is always there to save her


Darius sat looking at the nearly completed EM drive. He had done it. He, Darius Tanz, had outsmarted Newton's law of gravity. Darius' mind started to drift to Grace. When TESS interrupted his train of thought "Darius, there's a bit of a drama in the back alley, come see and tell me what you want me to do"

"That's Grace, I'm going down there, send security down there too"

"Help! Somebody help me!" Grace cried  
"I said shut up you stupid cow!" Her attacked shouted in her face as he slapped her across the face.  
"Please don't hurt me I've done nothing and I have nothing to give you."  
"I said shut up" her attacker shouted again as he repeatedly punched her in the ribs and stomach.  
"And I suggest that you leave my fiancé alone before I give you more than a black eye you pervert." someone shouted as they came running down the alley and punching him in the face.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?"

"It's Darius, can you walk?"  
"I think so, it's my confidence that's broken not my legs."  
"Get off me I'm filth" you shout at him as he gets closer.  
"You're not filth now get up and come with me back into the treehouse"

"Come on Grace get up, come on get up and get into the warmth and safety of the treehouse."  
"Grace you're shaking come here." Darius said kindly as he took his coat off and placed it around Grace's shoulders and then helped her back inside the building.  
"Where you taking me?"Grace asked once she'd calmed herself down and was huddled in Darius' arms in the elevator on the way up to the tree house.  
"We're going up to the treehouse so I can look after you." Darius explained as they exited the elevator and Darius guided her to the large sofa in the middle of the room  
"I don't need looking after Darius"  
"I believe you do. Now do you want to tell me what happened in the alley?" Darius asked kindly as he sat down next to her and pulled the large blanket around her still shaking frame  
"Grace don't be upset just tell me what happened." Darius prompted again, this time pulling her into his arms  
"He tried to rape me Daruis" Grace sobbed into his shoulder  
"Did he do anything to you? Sexually I mean."  
"No not sexually, but he tried."  
"What did he do Hun?"  
"He forced me against the wall by my wrists, ripped my underwear off, he slapped me across the face a couple of times and he also punched me several times in the stomach."  
"Okay I won't be long I'm just stepping outside to make a call."  
"To whom?"

"to security to get you a body guard for when you're not here at Tanz"

"i don't need that Darius"

"Believe me you do, no arguments"

"Come here get comfy, also I'd like to check you over when you're ready for me too."

"Darius I'm fine trust me"

"Okay if you say"

"Darius?"

"Grace?"

"Please don't leave me"

"Darius, promise me that you won't leave me"

"I'm not going anywhere, don't worry."

Darius' POV

Grace has been asleep for ten minutes now, she looks so peaceful yet so fragile. Then all of a sudden, she's screaming and struggling against the blanket in her sleep and I'm brought out of my thoughts.

End of POV

"Darius! Darius!" You woke in a cold sweat screaming for Darius

"Hey it's okay I'm here now, your safe now, go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever!" Darius soothed once he'd climbed onto the sofa and was holding you tighter than necessary.

"Hey sleeping beauty, how'd you sleep?" Darius asked Grace gently when she awoke a few hours later

"Not great, but it's okay"

"I've spoken to your boss, told him that you've come down with a bug and how you're not going back to work until you're completely over it and in the mean time you're going to stay here and I'm going to pamper you"

"Darius, you didn't have to do that, I'm fine I don't need the time off and I don't need pampering."  
"Okay I won't pamper you but you're having the time off whether you like it or not. Now bed with you."  
"But you only have one room."

"I know I'm on the sofa and you're in my bed. Now scoot, get to bed with you."  
"Darius! Darius!" You woke in a cold sweat screaming for Darius

"Hey it's okay I'm here now, your safe now, go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever!" Darius soothed once he'd climbed into the bed and was holding you tighter than necessary.  
"You promise?" You asked scared that he was going to leave you  
"I promise, now get comfy, use me as a pillow if you want and go back to sleep."  
You woke up the next morning in Darius' bed, but Darius was not in there with you. You started to panic as you thought that he'd left you when he promised he wouldn't.  
"Hey, hey Grace calm down I'm here, I was making us breakfast sorry I never should of left you. I'm sorry don't cry." Darius soothed as once again he come running in from the other room and climbed into bed with her again.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I'm a wreck you shouldn't have to put up with this" You blubber at him as you're still crying.  
"Grace you have nothing to be sorry for. What do you want to do today?"  
I want to be as close to you as possible you think to yourself. "I wouldn't mind watching a film". You answer.  
"Okay we can do that. What film?"  
"Marley and me or How to train your dragon". You answer him.  
"I don't think I have the second option but I can go and get Tess to download it". You answer her.  
"Thank you Darius"

"You're welcome Hun, now come and have some breakfast"

After Grace had finished her breakfast she left to get dressed but you could tell that she was somehow in pain.  
5 minutes later you follow her to your room. As you get closer you hear crying. You knocked softly on the door and called out, "Grace it's me I'm coming in okay."  
You was shocked when she didn't answer. "Grace I'm coming in don't freak".  
"Go away, don't look at me." Grace shouted at you once you'd closed the door again.  
"Hey, what's wrong Grace, look at me"  
"No I look like a monster"  
"How show me"  
You were shocked with what you saw, but you kept your emotions in check. Grace's chest, ribs and stomach was covered in deep purple bruises.  
"Does it hurt? Honestly does it hurt?"  
"A lot, it hurts a lot, I don't know if I can't cope with the pain"  
"Come here Grace, come here" You tell her arms open wide and slowly walking towards her, so you don't scare her.  
"No, I'm ugly go away"  
"Grace, listen you're not ugly your beautiful actually you're the most beautiful woman I know. Now come here"  
Slowly you walk into Darius' arms, he holds you tight but not too tight just enough to make you feel safe and you relax into him.  
"Thank you Darius"

"For what?"  
"For making me feel safe."  
"Your welcome now, you gonna get dressed?"  
"I want to shower, but I don't have the confidence to be alone"  
"Okay I'll come with you and sit on the toilet seat okay" You state firmly but lovingly.  
"No I don't want you to see me naked"  
"Grace it nothing I've not seen before plus your sitting half naked on my lap. So come on let's get you showered or would you prefer a bath?"  
"Prefer a shower thanks. I think if I bath, I wont be able to get back out"  
"Okay come on then" You say kindly as you pick Grace up off your lap and carry her into your en suite.  
"Ouch", you hear Grace curse under her breathe.

"What's up Grace?" You ask from the other side of the fogged shower door.

"I can't move my arm it's stuck"

"Okay turn the shower off and wrap this around you I'm coming in." You say kindly as you take your socks off and pass Grace a towel.

"You covered I'm coming in"

"It's not working Darius, I can't wrap the towel around me" You reply in tears you hate being so weak.

"Okay, it's okay". You soothe as you step into the shower and wrap the towel around Grace. "Pass me your arm Hun"

"Why?"

"Pass me your arm and you'll find out"

You moved your arm towards Darius, and he slowly but firmly starts to massage it until you can move it again.

You feel how tense Grace is, when you take her small arm in your large hands and start to massage it better. "How's that?" You ask after a few minutes.

"A lot better thanks"

"Good now where did you get too?"

"What you mean?"

"How much of your body have you washed?"

"I was attempting my hair when my arm cramped up"

"Okay, pass the bottle over and I'll help you"

"Thank you Darius, I'm sorry to be such a burden on you"

"You're not a burden Grace, you've just been attacked you're bound to be sore"

"Still I'm sorry"

"All done and stop saying sorry" You reply as you finish washing the shampoo off her hair and the shower gel of the rest of her body and wrapping the towel around her again.

"Darius?"

"Grace? what's up Hun?"

"I have no clothes"

"You do" Darius answered smugly as he showed Grace the cupboard full of clothes, of her particular style

"Thank you Darius. How did you know what size I was and what I like to wear?"

"It's fine, I have my ways now stop saying thank you. I'll leave you to get dressed"

"No please stay"

"Okay I'll stay"

"Darius can you help me" You Asked

"Of course, what's up"

"I... I urm... I can't do up my bra"

"It's okay no need to be embarrassed. This is me your talking to"

"Thanks"

3 weeks later

Darius sat looking at the nearly completed EM drive. He had done it. He, Darius Tanz, had outsmarted Newton's law of gravity. Darius' mind started to drift to Grace and everything that they'd both gone through these last few weeks.

"It's quite amazing," a soft voice said from behind Darius and he turned to find Grace standing in the glass doorway looking at the EM drive in amazement.

"It is, isn't it, just not quite as amazing as you"

"Darius, I have something to tell you" Grace started apprehensively

"What is it Grace? You know that you can tell me anything"

"I don't know where to start" Grace tried to say, but haltered, her tears halting her words

"Grace, come here and sit down. Now take a deep breath and start at the beginning, take your time, no need to rush, I'm here"

"I think I'm pregnant"

"How do you know?"

"I've missed my period for 2 months and I'm like clockwork when it comes to things like that"

"Have you done a test?"

"No"

"You should do one!"

"But I haven't got a test!"

"You have now" Darius replied as he pulled a pregnancy test box out of his draw.

Grace went off to the toilet, 5 minutes later Grace came back in floods of tears

"Grace, what is it? What is the result?"

"It's positive Darius, I'm pregnant, and I'm have no idea who the father is" Grace finished in floods of tears and went to ran out of the room but Darius stopped her before she got very far.

"Grace, please, sit and talk to me, we can get through this"  
"But why, it may not even be yours"

"That may be so but I love you anyway, how far gone are you?"

"About 10 weeks"

"okay, and if I'm not the father who is?"

"Harris, but we always used protection"

"Okay, so that means that there is only a slim chance that the baby is his then, it's okay Grace, we can make this work"

"talking of work, we have a meeting with the President in an hour, we should probably get going, no mention of this to anyone okay"

"okay, let's go, I'll drive"

"Darius look out for that car" Grace screamed as Darius swerved to avoid the driver coming straight towards them.

"Hold on Grace, I'm going to head for the bank over there" Darius replied, pointing quickly to a grass bank he could see up ahead.

There was a screech of car brakes and then they stopped just before the car crashed into the bank.

"Grace, are you okay? How's the baby?" Darius questioned the concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit sore but nothing is broken"

"Oh, that's a relief, now let's see if I can get this car started and I'll get you home and into a nice hot bath".

1 Hour Later.

Grace broke the kiss, pushing firmly against Darius' chest with both hands.

"Are you OK?" He questioned with concern, quickly easing his weight from her.

"You're pulling the sheets too tight around me." She told him.

"Sorry." He moved back, letting Grace disentangle herself.

"I'm still a bit sore from the seatbelt from earlier." She reminded him.

"Let me see." He whispered, kicking off his shoes. Grace cautiously peeled back the sheets and laid her hand self-consciously over her stomach and bruises that marked out the line of the seatbelt. Over the hour since the vehicle had rolled into the grass bank, the bruising had darkened to a mix of dark purple and fainter shades of yellows and greens.

Darius sat down on the bed, leaned over and placed the gentlest of kisses on her shoulder beside the bruises. He placed another few kisses across her ribs. He rolled back the sheets further placing a kiss in the centre of her belly. The mark of the belt was low across her hips, he gave it the same treatment.

"Where else does it hurt?" He asked.

"My knee where I banged it on the underside of the dashboard." He applied the same remedy. "And this shoulder." She added, laying a hand on his chest as he moved to kiss her flesh beside the bruise.

"All sorted." He said softly and grinned at her.

"Almost." She breathed, "lie down." she instructed, lifting the sheet so that he could join her beneath it. Grace snuggled into him. "I think what we both need is a cuddle." Grace said needing no further invitation, he was quite content to hold her, so that she could feel the security of his arms about her.

The following morning Darius dropped Grace off at her house, to go through her post, gather some clothes and just have a general tidy up, whilst Darius ran some errands and attended some minutes.

2 hours later the power went down for the whole city.

2 and a half hours later

Grace hears a key click in the lock on her front door and footsteps she heard previously are now rapidly approaching her, this causes Grace to have a panic attack, then suddenly Grace feels someone put their arms around her waist and place their head on her shoulder and start to pulled to her feet by her waist from behind by this stranger and then this stranger is pulling her into a tight embrace in effort to try and comfort her but this gesture does not it just causes Grace to panic even more.

All this additional panicking as well as her panic attack had caused Grace to collapse into this strangers arms who supports her and carries her through to her bedroom where he carefully lays her down onto the bed and then sits beside her and holds her close to him in a tight embrace, soothing her hair and talking to her softly whilst he watches her sleep and waits for her to awake from her slumber.

When Grace eventually awakes an hour and a half later, she starts to panic when she realises that she is now lying on her bed in a strangers arms and when she tries to free herself from his grasp, he tightens its and holds her close all the while still soothing her hair and talking to her.

As he feels Grace start to relax into his arms, he slowly releases his grip around her so that she is able to turn in his arms and face him

"Darius" Grace murmured as she turned in his arms and on seeing the love and care in his eyes she collapsed into his arms once more and buried her head into his chest and started to cry.

" Hey, what's up?" Darius asked Grace, his voice laced with concern, once her crying had calmed down slightly.

"You" Grace answered once she'd managed to get her breathing under control.

"What do you mean it's me" he asked her, with hurt and curiosity evident in his voice.

"There is this power cut and suddenly out of nowhere I heard footsteps approaching my front door and then they stopped suddenly and all went silent, then the silence was broken by a key clicking in the lock." Grace paused to get her breath back, because as she was explaining all this to Darius she was making herself get upset once again.

"Then I heard the footsteps rapidly approaching me. Then I get pulled to my feet by my waist. And you don't even bother to talk to me whilst you are doing it." Grace replied and she was now crying again.

"Oh Grace, I'm so sorry I did not intend on scaring you, as soon as I heard you panicking I know that I had to do something and all that I could think of was coming in and comforting you, so I used your spare key that has been on my keys for however many months now, and that I never gave back to you since the whole assassin attack." Darius paused for a moment thinking about what he was going to say next.

"Once I had pulled you to your feet, you collapsed into my arms, and that is why your now in here, on your bed rather than on your sofa, because I realised that once you woke up you would starting wriggling in order to free yourself and I thought that the safest place for you to do that would be here on your bed rather than on that sofa of yours because I knew that if I don't hold you tight enough you would end up on the floor, and I did not want that to happen." Darius explained, whilst stroking Grace's hair.

" But I thought that you'd come in to try and burglar me, try and hurt me or maybe even something worse."

" Grace you should know by now that I would never even dream of hurting you, you mean far too much to me for me to destroy our friendship and our relationship by hurting you, you're my world Grace"

" But that's what I thought you had come in here for and the thought really scared me."


End file.
